Rodents Rodents Go Away

24 January 2010

Rodents rodents go away
Never ever come back this way

Rodents, rodents, I shall bid you Goodbye, Elalleqa, Khodaa haafez, Aabar dekha hobey, Donadagohvi, Hagoonea, Ahoj , Ja ne / じゃ, Ja mata ne / じゃまたね, Auf Wiedersehen, Bis dann, Tschüss, Ade, Tschau, Bis Spater, Arrivederci, Addio, Ciao, Buona sera, Au Revoir,Hejdå, Aloha, Le'hitraot, Shalom, Aavajo, Adios,Paalam, Zai Jian, Zoi Geen, Farvel, Namaste, Alvida, Ayo, Rub Rakha, Żegnaj, Adeus, Tchau, Poka/Пока, Selamat pergi dan jangan kembali, Tot ziens, Dag, Doei, 再见, Yasou (YAH-soo), Hwyl fawr, Anyeonghi Gasyeo, Näkemiin, Hyvästi, Te veo despues, Vale, Valete, La revedere, Veloma, Sige la, Khuda Hafiz, Zai jian, Ha det bra, Ha det, Sees, Snakkes, Vida parayunnu, Vidaiperukiren, Poitu Vaarein, Slan, Aavajo, Чао.

Rodents rodents go to Spain
Never show your face ever again!!!

Very interesting findings: might grab your attention

7 January 2010, Thursday  

Holy Qur'an

That mention one thing is equal to another,

i.e. men are equal to women.

Although this makes sense grammatically,

the astonishing fact is that the number of times the word man appears in the Holy Qur'an

is 24 and number of times the word woman appears is also 24,

Therefore not only is this phrase correct in the grammatical sense but also true mathematically,

I.e. 24 = 24.

Holy Qur'an where it says one thing is like another.

See below for astonishing result of the words mentioned number of times in Arabic Holy Qur'an

Dunia (one name for life) 115.

Aakhirat (one name for the life After this world) 115

Malaika (Angels) 88 ..Shayteen (Satan) 88

Life 145 ...... Death 145

Benefit 50 . Corrupt 50

People 50 .. Messengers 50

Eblees (king of devils) 11 . Seek refuge from Eblees 11

Museebah (calamity) 75 . Thanks 75

Spending (Sadaqah) 73 . Satisfaction 73

People who are mislead 17 . Dead people 17

Muslimeen 41 . Jihad 41

Gold 8 . Easy life 8

Magic 60 . Fitnah (dissuasion, misleading) 60

Zakat (Taxes Muslims pay to the poor) 32 ........

Barakah (Increasing or blessings of wealth) 32

Mind 49 . Noor 49

Tongue 25 . Sermon 25

Desite 8 . Fear 8

Speaking publicly 18 . Publicising 18

Hardship 114 .... Patience 114

Muhammed 4 . Sharee'ah (Muhammed's teachings) 4

Man 24. Woman 24

And amazingly enough have a look how many times

the following words appear:

Salat 5, Month 12, Day 365,

Sea 32, Land 13

Sea + land = 32+ 13= 45

Sea = 32/45*100q.= 71.11111111%

Land = 13/45*100 = 28.88888889%

Sea + land 100.00%

Modern science has only recently proven that the water covers

71.111% of the earth, while the land covers 28.889%.

Is this a coincidence? Question is that who taught Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) all this?

Reply automatically comes in mind that ALMIGHTY ALLAH taught him.

This as the Holy Qur'an

Aayah 87 of Suraa (Chapter) Al-Anbia

Para 17:

LA ILAHA ILA ANTA

SUBHANAKA INI KUNTU MINA ZALIMEEN.

I hid behind the Wimpy Kid and soared like a bird

4 January 2009, Monday

I felt like a robot today
I woke up feeling grouchy. Like a robot, I went down to prepare breakfast for my husband and sons. Today is one day I didn't feel like doing housework, though the laundry was fast piling up. And everywhere looked a mess. This is the third month that I'm without a maid. 

Please, I don't feel like being responsible today
I didn't want to work on my translation. I just felt very tired. I didn't want to cook. I didn't feel like eating. I just didn't feel like working. All I felt like doing was to laze around doing nothing. I didn't want to do anything that reminded me of responsible behaviour. It was that kind of day. 

Pounding headache, is it really?
 As I sipped my hot teh tarik, I felt a pounding headache. It was this dull throb all over my head.  Perhaps I should retire to bed again, though the clock showed 8:15 a.m. I've been nursing shoulder and neck pain the last week or so. 

Amy I really sick?
As I placed the dishes in the sink, I felt my muscles were beginning to ache. In fact, all my joints were screaming in pain. And that could mean only one thing for me. I was coming down with the flu. I reckoned that would be a justifiable excuse to stay in bed all day. 

Sleep eluded me, as always
I climbed the steps wearily, shuffled to my bed, and wiggled under the comforters and shut my eyes. Tried as I might, sleep eluded me. I was completely awake. I ought to get up. But no, there was that pounding headache, the pain in my joints and the searing and shooting pain down my right arm. I was beginning to sniffle. Oh, the dreaded flu. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
I grabbed the tissues and glanced at my side table and saw a book which my youngest son, Khairi had insisted on buying a few days ago. (My son is not known to like reading very much, unlike my daughter, who is a vociferous reader like me), so that piqued my curiousity. I removed the book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: novel in cartoons", settled against my pillows and starting flicking through the pages. 

I buried myself in the Wimpy Kid
The morning was moving along and so was my reading. Another 100 pages and I was stretching. I wouldn't say I was mesmerised by this book as I usually avoided reading cartoons but this book was quite different. And perhaps to justify remaining in bed, I also wanted to find out for myself what triggered my son's interest in reading as he managed to finish reading this book in one reading. And he had also insisted in buying Book 2 and 3 (which I readily and gladly agreed if only he would continue having an interest in reading). 

Laziness continued to envelope me
Oh boy, I should try to get up and work on my translation as I have to complete this project by mid February. I should at least get up to do the laundry. Perhaps, I wasn't really sick. I wasn't getting the flu after all. In fact, I didn't really want to be sick. 

May I please have a little time for myself?
If truth be known, all I wanted was a little time off, a little time for myself. Time where I didn't need to worry about the mess in the house, that little time where I didn't need to worry if there's food laid on the table for my kids, that little time where the laundry could wait. I'm certain my family was resourceful enough to scrounge clothing from their messy wardrobes. 

I wasn't a child anymore
I needed to foster myself away from people, household chores, my project and the outside world. Did I have to wait to be sick to do that? I still remember that as a child, the only respite from school or household chores was being sick. But I wasn't a child anymore. Did I have to pretend that I was coming down with the flu or manufacture aches and pains to give myself a break? No, I decided. I didn't. I think I'm entitled to a break when I see fit. 

A feat: I whacked the Wimpy Kid (216 pages) in one reading)
Admit it old girl. Accept it. To heck with the guilt. Just enjoy your break. What would I like to do? Pamper myself? Doing what? Be a hermit like my student, Sumedha? Highly unlikely? Read? So, I continued reading and lazing in bed. And along with the Wimpy Kid, I tossed out the guilt and once again settled against the pillows and continued chasing the Kid.

And guessed what? I finished reading a 216-page in one reading and that was a feat. By then, my eyes were feeling droopy and I was feeling rather exhausted. With a grateful sigh, I switched off my side table, and this time, sleep did not escape me. I snoozed off right away. 

Hey, the aches and throbs are gone
Funny how the aches subsided in the comfort of my snug bed. They just slipped away with the cozy comforter covering and enveloping me. My head felt just fine, the throbbing feeling replaced by a sense of well-being.

By mid day, I was up on my feet, feeling refreshed psychologically, spiritually, and physically. And rather than feeling guilty and helpless, I felt rejuvenated. I had given myself permission to listen and respond to my own needs, to care for myself the way I have minded and tended to my husband and sons. 

Soaring like a bird
Hey, I didn't actually need the prop and support of an illness to give myself a break. I'm no longer a child who needed to hide behind an illness excuse to get a respite from school or household chores. I felt liberated today. And I realised with a jolt that it's the simple things in life that would set me free. I felt vindicated. And, oh boy, the feeling is oh soo GOOD!!

today, I'm deliriously happy

1 january 2010, saturday

i'm
happy as a LARK
busy as a BEAVER
bright as a BUTTON
hungry as a BEAR
bold as a BRASS
brave as a LION
calm as a MILLPOND
clear as a BELL
clean as a WHISTLE
cool as a CUCUMBER
different as CHALK from CHEESE
fresh as a DAISY
quick as LIGHTNING
sturdy as an OAK
snug as a BUG in a RUG
solid as a ROCK
strong as an OX
clean as a NEW PIN
right as RAIN
fit as a FIDDLE
keen as MUSTARD
fragrant as HEATHER
chirpy as a CRICKET
bubbly as BATH WATER
shiny as NEW MONEY
good as GOLD
free as the SEA
time rushes by like a COMMUTER late for work
drifting like CLOUDS
like a memory rustling through the LEAVES
i'm deliriously HAPPY- i'm just STUMPED for WORDS!!!

An excerpt...

31 December 2009, Thursday


An excerpt of the many poignant e-mails I received from my ex-students after I retired from lecturing.

Dear teacher, I do not know how to address you because once you were a mother as well as a teacher to us.  You were a good friend too. I wanted to write to you earlier too. I was waiting to chat with you. Ok I suppose we will be fortunate to meet each other again. I am waiting for that day. By the way now I am adjusting my lifestyle according to this society. Now it is not so easy.  Lots of things have changed. These days I am trying to cope with my job. Teaching. Already I started my work here. These are my news. With the hope of seeing you soon, I’ll stay. Thanks you for everything you did for us.  Still I can remember every words you uttered with us. Those lovely memories will last forever. With kind regards I am gothama REV. U. GOTHAMA THERO Ancient Weheragalla Temple, Mirissa, Sri Lanka. T.P. 0094714395774 0094715478892 Fax. 0094412250321 skype:- gothama3 MAY THE BLESSINGS OF TRIPLE GEMS BE WITH YOU!

My Blue Room

30 December 2009, Wednesday

My room is blue, the linen is blue,

The chairs are blue, and the curtain's blue too.

Some days when I'm feeling blue,

I buried my face under my blue pillows,

In my room which is blue.

WanKinsella@Lubukhatiku

Time sure flies...

30 December 2009, Wednesday

Time sure lies and it's just a matter of 36 hours before we welcome the new year. I've been extremely busy the last couple of weeks, traveling and working on a project that I missed posting updates on my blog.

As the project that I'm working on will occupy most of my time for the next 2 months, it'll be a while before I start updating my blog as regularly as before.

Till then....

Today is Ina's 20th Birthday

21 December 2009, Monday

ODE TO THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

 

Little princess,
Do you realize how much you mean to us?
As Babah and Mama nurture you into what you will be.
You came from within, from just beneath our heart.
It's there you'll always remain, though your own life will now start.
You're budding so fast it sends us askew,
With misty eyes we ask, Where's our little princess?
We have taught you well because we care.
The next few years will fly so quickly,
With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
As you begin your growth to womanhood, this fact you must know,
You'll always be our source of pride, no matter where you go.
You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no dread,
For all your dreams and goals, sit before you very near.
With Allah’s love in your heart and the world at your feet,
You'll always be our little princess, deep within our heart.
For you this birthday poem was written,
To tell you in a cadence of Babah’s and Mama’s heartfelt Love!
As we watch you grow….

Hugs,kisses and prayers, and loadz of love,
Babah and Mama

3: An Unchartered Territory - My Sojourn To Myanmar: Day 2

12 November 2009, Thursday (25 Zulkaedah) 

Day 2 Story 1, Yangon, Myanmar

Day 2 started very early for me, as I got up at 4:50 a.m to perform my subuh prayers. I got up even before the alarm went off. In any case, I managed to fall asleep again after that, and woke up again at 7:00 a.m.

For breakfast, I had fruits and durian cake, and several spoonful of serunding which I had brought from home. 

Uni Shopping Mall

Later, Sharon and May War came to take me to Uni Shopping Mall, a newly opened shopping complex (hardly a month old). Nothing much fancies me. I just bought a couple of things plus some drinks from the supermart. 

Mini Myanmar 

Entering the heartland of Burma is like stepping into the past. We proceeded to a place called Mini Myanmar, a most enigmatic and fascinating location. It was astonishing to discover that Myanmar comprises more than 100 races.

Myanmar is a union of 135 ethnic groups with their own languages and dialects. The major races are the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin, the Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine, and the Shan. The name Myanmar embraces all the ethnic groups.

I enjoyed being here as I got to sample a cross section of the culture, customs and lifestyle of the major races in Myanmar. Dignified and proud, the Burmese people regard foreign visitors as guests in their country and take pleasure in introducing their customs 

Lungyis (Longhi) and Thanaka
Men wear lungyis, loose-fitting cotton wraps; I had asked Tun Tun (who came with Sharon and family to greet me at the airport) why men in Myamar wear lungyis.  And, tongue-in-cheek, he had replied, "It'e easy and free!!!". Hmmm......

Young women and young boys brush their faces with Thanaka, a powder made from ground tree bark, both for beauty and for protection from the bright sun. Ancient traditions that have disappeared elsewhere survive in the valleys of the Irrawaddy. 

Nasi Briyani
May War brought me to KSS Restaurant for lunch, a halal restaurant that serves Nasi Briyani. Yes!!! Yummy Nasi Briyani can be found in Muslim restaurants in Yangon, Myanamar, although halal food is quite pricey here. Nasi briyani for two cost me RM35 (11,000 kyat). 

"Have Handphone, Cannot Use" 
On day 1, miracles of all miracles, I managed to send an sms to my husband to tell him that I had arrived safely in Myanmar. He was frantically calling me and smsing me to no avail.

The funny thing was, I could send him smses but I couldn't receive any. But my joy was shortlived as soon after that, I wasn't able to get any line or connection.

I managed to send an sms telling my husband the hotel number and that I was going to be traveling and wasn't sure if i could contact him again along the way.

That night he called me at Panorama Hotel and that was the last phone contact I had with my husband. 

Cyber Cafe (CC) 
After coming back from Mini Myanmar, and as I was almost cut off from my family back in Malaysia, I headed to the Cyber Cafe near Panorama Hotel after I had performed my Maghrib prayers (Maghrib/sunset is at 5:30 p.m in Myanmar) to tell my husband of the latest update and what the tentaive plans were for the next couple of days.

The CC was my lifeline in Myanmar. And thank God, the charges were filthy cheap, i.e 400 kyat for an hour (RM1.36). I spent 2 hours at the CC, and came back to the hotel to have dinner which consisted of Maggi Mee again, and some fruits.

I retired to bed early, given that I didn't have sufficient sleep the night before, and in anticipation of the long traveling that I was going to do the next day.

2: An Unchartered Territory - My Sojourn To Myanmar: Day 1 Story 2

Day 1 Story 2, Yangon, Myanmar

Hell Drivers and Dare-Devil Pedestrians
If you think that Bangkok traffic is scary and awful, and their drivers terrible, wait till you experience the traffic in Myanmar, and meet the hell drivers and dare-devil pedestrians here.

Oh my God, Win (the driver assigned to me for my duration of stay in Myanmar) was driving like a fiend but I reckon he's so used to it that even if he closes his eyes, he'd bring you safely to your destination.

And the pedestrians!!! Oh my!!!! They criss cross the roads at their fancies. What I realised is that in Myanmar, pedestrians, saykal riders (trishaw riders), and peddlars on carts are the Kings of the Road, unlike in Malaysia.

 

In Malaysia, if you so much as dare to zig zag to cross the road, in no time you will be a "mechanic" and a another statistic in the number of road deaths!!! 

Plaza Yuzan
My first stop was at Plaza Yuzan. This Plaza reminds me of Pratunam in Bangkok and S&M in Kuala Lumpur. Nothing much fancies me, although May and Sharon, and her mum, thought they could interest me to buy Myanmar's traditional dress (a sarong and a short blouse).

We just did a lot of window shopping. However,just before we left the Plaza, I saw this pretty twirling black and white skirt, fell in love and bought it without much hesitation. If truth be known, I have a really soft spot for anything which comes in black and white. That was my first purchase in Myanmar and the only purchase at  Plaza. 

Sayasan Plaza (Sculpture Creation From Fallen Trees By Nargis )
Next, I was taken to Sayasan Plaza, a Plaza where they house and sell Myanmar crafts and the very famous Myanmar jades and pearls. And more recently, they added wood carving stuff.

What was simply amazing about those wood carvings was the fact that the Myanmar government decided to turn a tragedy into a profit-making business. In May 2008, Nargis typhoon hit Myanmar. The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 146,000 fatalities with thousands more people missing.

However, what the government had ingeniously done was to capitalise on the fallen trees and made amazing and breathtakingly beautifulsculptures out of them.

Myanmar Jade
I'm one female shopper who's not really into decking myself with jewelleries, though I don't mind simple rings or pendants. Hence, pearls and jades are not really my cup of tea. But, Sharon and her mum thought that my trip to Myanmar would be incomplete if I don't bring back Myanmar jade so her mum bought a complete set for me, one each for ring and pendant and two for earrrings, and a big one for bracelet. 

Halal Food and Halal Hotel
I had agreed to put up at Panorama Hotel when told that food served there was halal, despite the higher hotel charges (double the price I paid elsewhere in Yangon).

I was kind of excited coz rarely did I get to savour halal food in a hotel when I'm abroad. I was planning to order room service for dinner. When I opened the menu, I had the shock of my life.

 

 

Suffice to say, I ended up eating maggi in a cup!! And for desert, I had plenty of fruits which Sharon's mum had asked Win to to buy (he actually bought so much banana that it could feed almost a household of people). I also had a slice of durian cake which I had brought from KL. Thank God.

And that night, my sleep was fitful.  The aircon had malfunctioned earlier and when they came to repair it became too cold. I was tossing here and there, and ended up falling asleep only at 5:00 a.m. And before I realised it, it was time to perform my subuh solat (in Yangon, subuh begins at 4:30 a.m) and sun rises at 6:01 a.m.! 

Points to note when you're in Myanmar
1/ US Dollars vs Kyat vs RM
Most (maybe all) budget hotels only accept US dollars. They don't even accept kyat (their own currency, which I find highly perplexing).

And when you take delivery of the US dollars at your money changer, be VERY SURE to check that the notes are in PERFECT condition.  There musn't be the slightest damage or tear, coz it'll be rejected.

However, if you look at the kyat in circulation, oh my!!! Even though it's torn and tattered and falling apart, it's still in circulation and still deemed legal tender. What an irony!!! And I left all my kyat in Myanmar (exchanged and donated almost half of them to May) as kyat is not accepted at money changers in Malaysia.

2/ Never believe everything they say
What I've learnt from the episode at Panorama Hotel, especially as a Muslim, is not to believe everything they say.  Thank God, I'm rather inquisitive, hence discovering that the food served at the hotel was not halal despite them trying to convince me otherwise.